


Sneaking Suspicion

by Sebastina_Michaelis



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, F/M, Marichat, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-06 20:14:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17946371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sebastina_Michaelis/pseuds/Sebastina_Michaelis
Summary: Despite Adrien writing off the poem he got from Ladybug not being from Marinette, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.





	Sneaking Suspicion

**Author's Note:**

> Why this boy gotta be so dense I'm-

Despite initially writing off Marinette's note and the Valentine's Day card belonging to two different people, but you couldn't get the thought out of your head. When she said that that rather strange collage of photos was because she simply admired your work, you wanted to believe her. You wouldn't deny that she was a talented design, but could there be more to it that that? In those fleeting moments when she did finally relax around you, or when she surged with determination, you couldn't shake the feeling that there was something familiar about it all. Beneath the strange things she sometimes said, or did, Marinette was a very kinda person. You found it hard to think she was treating you differently than anyone else. _Is she really trying to tell me something, or is she getting herself worked up over nothing?_

A sigh rises in your chest. All you really had to go off of was this feeling of vague familiarity and that you were overlooking something.  _What if I am right?_ As much as you longed to know who Ladybug really was, she was o adamant that you had to keep your identities a secret. Backing her into a corner with this didn't feel right. If you didn't love her as much as you did, maybe you wouldn't even be this insistent on figuring out who she was. You kept telling yourself that it was better to respect her wishes, but you also couldn't stand not knowing if the answer was right beneath your nose.  _Do I want Marinette to be ladybug?_

_No...that can't be it. Can it?_ Sure, you liked Marinette, what wasn't there to like? You couldn't say you would be disappointed if she was Ladybug... At least you knew what to expect from her, and talking to her felt natural.  _Doesn't she like Luka though? Do they really spend that much time together?_ You didn't think they did, but it was hard to tell with you so busy all the time. Marinette couldn't always phone you in when you couldn't hang out with her, Alya and Nino. Nino did his best to tell you what he thought was important, but that couldn't possibly cover everything.  _Maybe Plagg is right..._

You freeze when you spot a familiar figure looking out over the canal. “Ladybug?” You leap onto the parapet and drop down, approaching her from behind. Ladybug glances at you over her shoulder, but shortly returns to looking out over the dark water. If it hadn't been for the light from the street lamps rippling off of the surface, you might have mistook it for more of the ground.

“Hey, Cat Noir.” You lean against the railing beside her. More often that not when you couldn't sleep, you found yourself taking this same route, however you rarely encountered Ladybug on such walks unless someone had been akumatized.

“Rough night, m'lady.”

“Something like that.”

Ladybug sighs. You didn't think you had ever seen her this upset before. Was it about that boy she liked? Or maybe it's something else. Even if you couldn't know names, you wanted to help her sort through this. She said you were friends, and right now you were the only one who here for her. Surely that would outweigh her not wanting to get to close to you? “What's got you so down? Boy troubles?”

Ladybug bites her bottom lip then shakes her head. “Not exactly.” she glances at you again, seeming to actually notice you for the first time since you got here. The resulting silence was broken by a car alarm in the distance and water lapping at the edges of the canal. You could tell she was weighing her options,but in the end she made up her mind. “We're friends, good friends, and that means the world to me but... There's this other girl now and I think he really likes her. I want to be happy for him, but I guess I always thought one day he might see me as something more than a friend.”

Your mind wandered back to Marinette. Did she mean you and Kagami? Sure you were up for some friendly competition at times, but you hardly knew her. She just helped you out when you were feeling down about Ladybug. You'd want to know what was up if you were in this situation at least. “I think that if he realy means this much to you, you should tell him as much. Even if he doesn't feel the same way about you, it's best to be honest with each other. Wouldn't you want to know if you were in the same boat, Marinette?”

An awkward silence followed. You weren't sure if you should try to correct yourself or pretend it never happened. It wasn't like she'd own up to it even if you were right.

Ladybug's mood shifts rather quickly. She laughs nervously brushes you off. “Wow Kitty, you must really like her a lot if you're getting us mixed up. What are you daydreaming about over there? Although I suppose you're right.”

You join in with her, if only to alleviate the tension.  _There's definitely something going on here._ “Cat's out of the bag now, m'lady, I guess you caught me. Although nobody could claim the place you hold in my heart.”

She rolls her eyes and lightly punches your shoulder. “Down kitty.”

You inch backwards, nervously scratching the back of your neck. “Well, as much as I'm happy to help, it's getting late and I should get going. Cya around, bugaboo.”

 

 ~***~

 

When Marinette stumbled (literally) into class the next day she looked a little worse for wear. Her clothes were a little wrinkled and her hair wasn't as neat as it normally was. You thought it mostly would have to do with her rushing to get to second period on time, but she seemed less energetic than usual. “Hey Marinette, glad you could make it.”

She trips over the first step and bounces back up, laughing nervously. “Oh hey Adrien.” She laughs nervously and waves at you. Alya pulls her down into her chair before she could say anything else. The bell rings, marking the start of class again.

You still felt a little bad about how you left things with Ladybug. If you were wrong about all of this, then maybe she'd start to think you like Marinette more than you liked her. This whole thing was getting too complicated for your taste. It'd be easier if Ladybug would stop being so serious for a few minutes. As much as you valued having her as partner, you considered those moments when she acted more like your friend more than anything. Those glimpses of what life could be liked together outside the costume, meant the world to you. You wished you could have more of them.

 

 ~***~

 

All this letter exchanging felt a bit like a game of tag. Marinette had left on for you a few days ago, but any time you tried to talk to her it seemed the timing was off. You did consider writing back to her, but it all felt so impersonal. In the end you simply left her a note from Cat Noir telling her to meet you here instead. Only you'd be here.

You told yourself you weren't going to press this issue, but at this point, you couldn't help yourself. Hawkmoth hadn't akumatized anyone so you hadn't spoken to Ladybug all week, at least not that you were supposed to know about.

You grew more anxious as the minutes ticked by. What if Marinette didn't show up? The last time she had spoken with Cat Noir you hurt her feeling and if she was Ladybug then you doubted she was going out of her way to spend extra time with you. There was always a chance that you were wrong, and this whole thing would blow up in your face, but... if you were wrong, then you could go back to having no idea who Ladybug was. Hopefully things could go back to normal with Marinette and...maybe you'd take Plagg's advice.

Even thinking that Plagg was right felt strange. You hoped things didn't come to that.  _What if this is a mistake?_

“I don't get what the long face is for, I thought you only had eyes for Ladybug.”

“I do but...” You trail off. This feeling was all you had to go off of. You wanted to trust your instincts but things were falling apart at the seams. Doubt began creeping over you the longer this went on, but you couldn't back out now.

“You don't seriously think Marinette is Ladybug, do you?”

Plagg couldn't tell you who she was even if he wanted to, but you wished he'd be a little more supportive if you were taking steps in the right direction.  _Would he really have let me go this far if she wasn't Ladybug?_

“I do, actually.” The door to the roof inches open. Plagg returns to his hiding place in your shirt. Marinette pokes her head out and glances around. She visibly starts when she locks eyes with you a moment and the door slams shut again. There was a faint thud in the stairwell, but you were sure it wasn't anything to worry about. You laugh despite yourself. All this worrying and Marinette seemed to be her usual self.

You take a few steps towards the door as it opens again, although this time she swung it open all the way, with purpose. “Adrien, what a pleasant suplies- er surprise!” She claps her hands together and laughs nervously. “What are you doing up here?”

“I was just waiting for someone.” Her face darkens for a moment. Had she not put it together yet? Or did she think this was some coincidence?  _I really should have just wrote her back._ You expected this to go smoother. Either you were wrong and Marinette wasn't Ladybug, or she was rather determined to keep this going for as long as possible. But it was better to figure out which it was. “Did you get my note?”

“Note? What note? I didn't get any note! I just thought I'd, uh...enjoy you. The view! Enjoy the view.” She nods vigorously and prances forward, suddenly very intent on looking at the scenery.  _Was I really wrong then?_

“At least we're finally alone, I've been meaning to talk to you. About me and-” You were cut off by a crowd tearing down the street. A car flies by, just barely missing a group of pedestrians. You glance over as Marinette, although her eyes remained fixed on the street for the time being. There was a familiar spark of determination in her eyes. “It looks like someones been akumatized.”

“Yup, but that's where I come in.” It was a snap descision, but even if you were wrong, and Marinette wasn't Ladybug, you trusted her. You could accept being wrong if it was for her. And if she wasn't then you already had less secrets with her than you did with Ladybug if she knew who you really were. “Plagg, Claws out!”

A familiar power surges through you. Marinette takes a few steps back and stares blankly at you. You leap onto the parapet and glance back at her, “You coming, bugaboo?'

 

 ~***~

 

When everything was said and done Ladybug followed you back to the roof where you had left Marinette. The same hesitation she had shown earlier lingered. She seemed frustrated, but it felt more for show than anything. It didn't feel like she was angry at you but rather herself. “Cat Noir, I told you, our identities must remain a secret.”

You had refused to entertain the thought of this outcome. Did she really hate you for this? There was still time for her to leave you there. You'd be fine leaving things as they were, even if she couldn't forgive you, this would just be one more thing you kept from each other. “I know you did but, I couldn't help myself. I needed to know. If this upsets you that much, then we can part ways like this never happened.”

Marinette shakes her head as transforms back. “It's too late for that, we both know it.”

The power surging through you fades as you transforms back. Marinette paces back and forth in front of you, mostly talking to herself. The theme of not knowing what to do was prevelant. This day was bound to come eventually, the way you went about this was rather forceful but...it felt like a burden had been lifted from you. You didn't have to worry about hurting either of them.

Marinette's kwami must have said something to her, because she straightened and jolted back into reality. “I said that for both of out sakes, It's dangerous for us, I know you love Ladybug but...that isn't a reason for you to do this.”

“You're right but there was no way for me to be certain until now. You have every right to hate me but, I thought maybe the risk would be worth it. I didn't mean to hurt you.”

Color rises to Marinette's cheeks and she quickly backpedals. Slightly. “No, no, no! I couldn't hate you, Adrien. I just...” She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes for a moment. “I need to think about this. I'm going home.” She spins around and slips down the stairwell.  _I didn't even think about how she would feel about all of this. She poured her heart into that letter and then I went and did something like this._

Would she have been so quick to accept this if the roles were reversed? “That went well.”

“You think?”

“Could have been worse.”

 

 ~***~

 

“Adrien!” You stop at the bottom fo the stairs as Marinette calls out to you. She comes to a jarring stop at the top of the stairs, her cheeks a little red from chasing after you. She quickly straightens after catching your eye and bounds down the stairs. Nino adjusts his hat and smirks. “Whoah Marinette, what's gotten into you?”

Considering she had been rather down this entire week, not that you didn't understand why, you welcome her being back to her usually peppy self. Marinette laughs. “Oh nothing. I just uh...” She catches your eye again, color rises to her face and she quickly looks atway. “wanted to know if you'd walk me. Home! Walk me home.”

As she spoke her voice got quieter. It was hard to hear her above the rest of your classmates leaving for the day. As much as you wanted to talk to her again, you also didn't feel right in just abandoning Nino. Thankfully you didn't have to.

Alya cam sauntering down the stairs and latched onto his arm. “Nino, you promised we'd go to the park, don't you remember?”

“I did?”

“That's right. See you two later.” She winks at Marinette. Nino manages a confused goodbye, leaving you alone with Marinette.

“Sure.” You shift your bag and let Marinette set a rather slow pace as you head down the sidewalk. The people around you thinned out, and after the first intersection it began to feel too quiet. It was hard to get a read on her. She said she wasn't upset but... clearly she wasn't still thinking either, was she?

“Adrien I...I understand why you did what you did, but...that doesn't excuse it. W-we can't go back to how things were but we still have to try and keep up appearances. Well, not entirely the same I mean, I wouldn't mind spending some more time with you but I lknow you're super busy so-”

She cuts herself off as you laugh quietly. You knew she was being serious, but you could hardly help yourself. You wouldn't really complain either. Even if it was only for a little while, Marinette had a way of brightening your day. And you agreed that this couldn't change everything, but it felt like a step in the right direction.

A lot of the doubt you had about yourself had faded as well. You knew you'd always have a place by Ladybug's side. “I'm sure I can make time here and there.” You offer your hand to her.

Marinette freezes in her tracks. She stared blankly at you for a long moment. You check the time and mentally ran through the rest of your appointments for the day. There was some time before your Chinese lesson. “Want to take a little detour?” At least, there would be if Marinette stopped spacing out like she was.  _Is it too_ soon? “Marinette?”

You lean forward slightly and she jumps, grabbing your hand a little too hard. “Your hand's nice.No. You're nice, I mean, uh... Yes! Let's Take a little walk.”

She drags you down a side street, gripping your hand a little too tightly. You struggle to stifle your laughter.  _Some things never change._

 


End file.
